Can-capping machine.



W. E. BROOKS. CAN GAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 3, 1908fPatented Aug. 17, 1909.

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Witnwoeo ANDREW. B. cRAHAu co" PHDTOifl'BOGRAPHnRS. WASHlNGYoN. c. c.

G; W. E. BROOKS.

CAN GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001s, 190s.

Patented Aug. 17, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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G. W. E. BROOKS. CAN OAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 0OT.3, 1908.

Z P 9 & ..m w a w& 1m I uv mm ll! I'll n w a P aw a a f m v "a me 0 O 0a 2 m n! 6 j 9 1 M GEORGE W. E. BROOKS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CAN-CAPPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatented Aug. 17, 1909.

Application filed October 3, 1908. Serial No. 55,9&2.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, Gnonon N. E. Bnoons, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in tl e State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Can-Capping Machines, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to soldering machines, and has particularreference to that type of machines employed in securing caps to fruitcans. Tn machines of this type, it is customary for the filled cans tobe conveyed, as by an endless belt to the machine where the caps aresoldered in place. After the caps have been secured in place the cansare delivered from the machine either to the some belt as carried themthereto or to any other suitable location. in machines of thischaracter, in order to obtain the greatest economy in speed and accuracyof operation, and also in order that minimum amount of solder may beused, certain features of construction, not heretofore known to me havebeen found necessary. By the use of the machine hereinafter describedcans of different sizes, either as to diameter or height, may be suciiully treated, certain parts of the device being interchangeable andadjustable for this purpose. Again, it is ess ntial in order to obtainthe best results for the solder to be applied to the or cap crease afterthe cap is on the can, and I have found it advantageo s for the properspreading of the sol er .ror the same tobe supplied with flux at twodifferent points or times, first at the beginning of the meltingoperation and later after the solder is melted, the later iiuxingoperation insuring the proper.running of the solder and closing ofthecrease in the top of the can.

The fore oing and many other advantages will l e hereinafter fully setforth and illusin the accompanying drawings, in wn1cn Figure l is a planview of the machine, certain parts being broken away and others beingomitted for the sake of better disclosure: Fig. 2 vertical elevation,partly in m the line 2-2 of Fig. 1' Fig. 3 is ion, partly in section? ofthe solder apparatus; Fig. 3 is a vertical transctien of the solder ringforming de- -l is a plan view of the structure a Fig. 3; Fi is a planView of 5 b flux spray; r 1g. o is a side elevation the firs of themechanism of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a detail vertical section of one of theburners, showing its relation to the carrier which supports it; Fig. 8is a bottom plan view of a burner, and Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail ofthe second flux spray nozzle.

Throughout the following description and on the several figures of thedrawings, similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

As a preferred embodiment of the machine comprising the improvements,there is shown at 10 a circular table mounted for rotation on a verticalshaft 11. Said shaft is mounted in a stationary position in any suitableform of supporting frame 12, and ournaled on the shaft is a sleeve 13 towhich the table 10 is connected. The turn table 10 is substantially flatand smooth on its upper sur face and on the surface the cans to betreated are received and supported. The sleeve 13 is driven by means ofa worm gear 14, which is driven in turn by a worm 15 mounted on a powershaft 16, to which is secured a power pulley 17, of any suitableconstruction, and operated from any suitable source of power.

Mounted directly above the table 10 and parallel thereto is a separableand detachable turret 18 having notches or recesses 18 in its peripherywhich receive the several cans to be treated, and said recesses being ofthe proper size to fitthe cans intended for that particular turret. Bythis means the cans are held in fixed position with respect to the turntable 10, and while carried thereon have no movement independent of saidtable.

A spider or carrier 19 is splined to the upper end of the sleeve 13,whereby it is caused to rotate therewith parallel to and 9 coincidentwith the turn table 10 and turret 18. This spider 19 being splined tothe sleeve 13 is adjustable thereon vertically by any suitable means forthe purpose of accommodating sets of cans of various heights. As asuitable illustration of means for adjusting and securing the spider 19at proper elevation there is shown a hand-wheel 20 having threadedengagement with shaft 11 and having a depending yoke 21, provided withpins 22 projecting inwardly and engag ing in a groove in the upper endof the head 23. The hub 2a of the spider has loose abutting connectionwith the lower surface of the head 23 and is secured thereto by means ofa gland 25 having threaded connection to said hub and having the flange25 embracing the flange 23 of the head 23. Packing rings 26 may beplaced between the contact surfaces of these parts to insure a tightjoint. The head 23 is non-rotatable, while the hub 24, being a part ofthe spider rotates therewith.

Following the course of the cans from the time they approach themachine, 27 indicates a belt of any suitable construction on which thecans are conveyed after being filled and with the caps loosely appliedthereto. As the cans approach the machine they are deflected laterallyfrom the belt and toward the machine by means of a switch 28 whence theyare delivered individually into the notches or recesses 18 of theturret. limmediately after having been received upon the turn table andturret, assuming the direction of rotation of the turn table to be asindicated by the arrow on Fig. 1, the first step in the operation is tosupply the can cap with solder. This operation is performed by means ofthe solder feed illus trated specifically in Figs. 3 and l. The solderfeed 29 is of peculiar construction, and comprises a pair of gripperrolls 30 and 31 which feed the solder in the form of a rod of wire 32,as will hereinafter more fully appear. The lower surface of the turntable is provided with a gear ring 33 having continuous meshingengagement with a pinion 34 pivoted on a stud connected to a frame 35,suitably connected to the supporting frame 12 of the machine. The pinion34 is provided on its upper surface with a lug 36, and on its lowersurface with a wrist-pin 37. The size of the pinion 341 is such that itwill be given one rotation for each can space on the turn table. Aratchet wheel 38 journaled loosely on a shaft- 39 is drivenintermittently by means of a pawl 40 pivoted to a slotted arm 41,likewise pivoted on the shaft 39. Adjustably connected to said arm 4:1is a pitman a2 connected to the wrist-pin 37. For each rotation of thepinion there will be a corresponding rotation of the ratchet wheel 38assuming that there is a can to be supplied with solder at thatparticular portion of the turn table. If, however, there should be nocan at that point it is desirable that there should be no operation ofthe ratchet wheel. To accomplish this result there is provided a lever43 pivoted at 4 lto the frame 35, one end ll) of the lever being adaptedto be engaged by the can. The other end of the lever is provided with aslotted yoke 46 in which the tail 47 of the pawl is connected, thisconnection being between the pivots of the pawl and said lever. A spring48. has a normal tendency, by virtue of said connection, to hold thepawl out of engagement with the ratchet wheel 38. The ratchet wheel isrigidly secured to a gear 49, in mesh with a pinion 50 connected to agear 51, which in turn drives the pinion 52 attached to the shaft 39.Gears 4:9, 50 and 51 are loose on their respective shafts. By thisarrangement of speed gears a short movement of the ratchet wheel willcause a rapid movement of the shaft 39 and gripper wheel 30 connectedthereto. The solder 32 is fed from said gripper wheels into and througha tube 53 which terminates in a cir cular casing or former 54, wherebythe solder is formed into an unattached or free annulus or are ofgreater or less extent dependent upon the amount of solder required, thelength of the are being determined by adjustment of the parts abovementioned, and in this form the solder is applied cold bodily to thecrease of the cap while the can is in motion. An inverted cup-shaped dieis located within said former 54- and surrounds a stationary member thelower portion of which is spaced slightly from the inner surface of theformer a l. The die 55 is normally held elevated by springs 57 and isdepressed by means of a lever 58 and pins 59 connected to the lever 58for the purpose of shearing off a charge of free or unattached solderand forcing it down upon the can. The lever 58 is operated by means of arod 60 which is operated by the lug 36 aforesaid. The operation of thesolder feeding devices is so timed as to deposit the charge of solderupon the proper can at the precise instant desired. The upper portion ofthe frame 35 is adjustable vertically with respect to the lower portionin order to accommodate cans of different heights. It will be seentherefore that when a can is present on the table and beneath the solderfeeder the rotation of the pinion 3% will cause a delivery of solderthereupon, but if there is no can present such operation of the pinionwill not cause operation of the ratchet wheel and a delivery of solder.From what has just been stated it will be understood that the downwardmovement of the pins 59 will be determined by the upper surface of thedie 55, and the downward movement of the rod 60 will be'limited by thepinion If the weight of the rod 60 and of the end of the lever 58 towhich the rod is connected is not sutlicient to normally elevate thepins 59, said pins will be lifted by the die 55 when the latter islifted by the springs 57. The next step in the operation of the machineis to supply the solder thus placed upon the can with flux. 61 indicatesa flux tank, located suitably upon the frame 12 and from said tank leadsa detachable nozzle 62, having a circular series of apertures directedimmediately above the can caps. The nozzle (32 is secured adjustably tothe device by means of a support and whereby the same may be removed andreplaced by another of different size according to the size of canoperated upon. The inner or lower end of the nozzle (52 extends into andnear the bottom of the tank 61. Leading into the top of the tank is acompressed air pipe 6st provided with a cock as having direct connectionto a bell crank 66, which projects into the path of a can to be thussuplied with flux. vl hen the can to be thus supplied reaches thelocation of the tlux tank it will engage the said lever 66 and open thevalve 65 suliiciently to permit a charge of flux to be delivered byvirtue of compressed air passing through the pipe The compressed airwill be stored in a reservoir (37, which is kept charged by any suitableform of air pump such as indicated at 68, and whose piston (39 is c nncted to the shaft 16. As in the case of the solder feed there will be nooperation of the flux spray unless there is a can at that particularpoint. to be treated.

The spider or carrier 19 is provided with as many vertically arrangedburners 70 as there are spaces on the turn table for cans. The burners70 being substantially alike, a specific description of one will beunderstood as being applicable to all. Referring particularly to Fig. 7,such burner comprises a casing 71 within the lower face of which istapped a weight 72-, which as indicated in Fig. 8 is provided with acircular series of jets 7 3 extending downwardly therefrom and in closeproximity to the lower end of the weight. The upper portion of thecasing 71 is connected rigidly to a pipe 74: connected to a coupling 75from which extends laterally a stud 6 and roller 77. The stud 76projects outwardly through a slot 78 of a face plate 7 9 secured to theouter periphery of the carrier 19. The coupling 75 has connected theretoon its upper side a rigid pipe section 74, which has flexible connection80 to a rigid pipe 81 carried by the hub 2a, and in which pipe 81 is acock 82. The upper end of the hub 2a is recessed at 24; to form anannular chamber which registers with a similar chamber formed in thenon-rotary member Fuel, such as a mixture of gas and air, is deliveredto said chamber through a pipe 83. By the construction heretoforedescribed fuel ill be delivered from said chamber .Z l through each ofthe flexible pipes 80 and burners. The coupling 75, connecting the pipesections 74 and 74a, constitutes not only a support for theanti-friction roller 77 but serves also as a means for limiting tieupward and downward movements of the burner, the pipe sections slidingvertically in the outer portion of the carrier or spider 19. The head 72is adapted to rest upon the can cap, and is provided with a central port72, whereby the air may escape from the can in the customary way. Asegmental track 8% is supported by means of brackets 84, and the rollers77 are adapted to ride upon the upper surface thereof and thereby theburners will be lifted to their upper position. After the can has beensupplied with the solder and first flux spray, as hereinbefore setforth, the burner at such time being elevated to accommodate the solderfeed and spray, the burner reaches the end of the can track 8% and comesto rest with its weight 72 upon the can cap. At this time or justprevious a lug 85 mounted upon any suitable stationary member willcontact the stem of the cock 82 connected to the pipe leading to theburner in question, whereby the fuel will be supplied insufficientquantities to melt the solder. From this point and during theoperation of the turn table through substantially a half rotation theflame from the burner will be operating upon the solder and flux.

in order to complete a more satisfactory fluxing, I provide a secondtluxing apparatus (31, w iich is in all essential particularssubstantially like the one previously described. ln this instance,however, the spray nozzle 69/ does not terminate in a complete annulus,but rather in a comparatively short segment, this being necessitated bythe fact that the weight 72 is down and would be engaged by a nozzleiilar in form to the one just described. li hen flux is applied thesecond time to the melted solder, in a very small quantity, the solderimn'iediate y flows throughout the extent of the crease and therebythoroughly seals the cap to the can.

Soon after the second luring operation, the stem of the cook 82 engagesa second stationary lug 85, whereby the flame is turned off, allowingthe solder to cool and harden by operation of any suitable cooling meansif desired while the weig t 72 yet remains upon the cap holding it inposition. The turn table continuing to rotate will LL8- liver the cansindividually upon the carrier 27 by virtue of the switci 2 Just beforethe operation of the switch 28, however, the burner will be lifted lymeans of the can track 84.

As has been suggested the can and its cap will not be moved, withrespect to the turn table, from the time it is received thereon until itis discharged therefrom, consideration of vast importance in machines ofthis character. By this fact there will be no splashing of the can orits contents nor dis placement of the solder. It is to be notedfurthermore that the machine will operate equally well in cases where asolder has been applied by other means previous to delivering the cansupon the machine.

Having thus described this invention, but

without desiring to be limited to the exact construction illustrated,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a can capping machine, the combination of a turn table on whichcans are re- Cir ceived and supported, a turret associated with the turntable and having means to sustain cans in spaced relation on said turntable and in stationary position thereon, a carrier above the turret andturn table, means to continuously rotate the carrier, turret, and turntable in unison, means to supply solder and flux successively to thecans while on the turn table, and a series of burners carried by saidcarrier to supply heat directly to the solder.

2. In a can capping machine, the combination of a turn table, means tosupport cans hereon in definite spaced relation to one another, acarrier mounted coaxially with the turn table, means to rotate thecarrier and turn table in unison, means to deliver cans to and from theturn table, means dependent upon the presence of a can to supply suchcan with a determinate quantity of solder, means to supply flux to theindividual cans, and a series of burners carried by the carrier to applyheat to the solder.

8. In a can capping machine, the combination of a movable can support,means to hold a can in a definite position on said support and movabletherewith, relatively stationary means to supply solder and flux to thecan while the latter is in motion, a burner movable in unison with theaforesaid movable devices to apply heat directly to the solder, saidburner including a weight to rest upon the can cap and a circular seriesof jets surrounding the weight, and means to automatically turn the fuelsupply on and off while the burner is in motion.

4. In a can capping machine, the combination of a turn table, means tohold cans thereon in definite spaced relation to one another andstationary in relation to the turn-table, a carrier above theturn-table, means to rotate the carrier and turn table in unison inparallel planes, means to supply solder and flux to the cans whilerotating with the turn table, a series of burners carried by the carrierand projecting therefrom toward the cans to apply flame directlythereto, and means to supply all of said burners with fuel from a singlesource of supply.

5. In a can capping machine, the combination of a movable support, meansto hold a can thereon in a definite position, means to apply anunattached are of cold solder bodily to the cap and cap crease while thecan is in motion with its support, and means to flux and melt the solderthus applied.

6. In a can capping machine, the combination of a turn table, means todeliver cans thereon in definite spaced relation, means to apply heat tothe respective cans while the same are in motion on the turn table,solder feeding mechanism, means controllable by the several cans toapply solder to the cans successively, and means connected to said turntable to operate said solder feed mechanism.

7. in a can capping machine, the combination of a turn table, means toretain cans thereon, solder feeding mechanism, a gear connected to theturn table to operate the solder feeding mechanism, means controllablefrom the several cans to cause the solder feeding mechanism to supplysolder to the respective cans, means to apply flux to the cans after thesolder has been applied, and a series of burners operating in unisonwith the turn table to operate upon the solder.

8. The hereindescribed solder feeding mechanism for can capping machinescomprising gripper rolls, pawl and ratchet mechanism, speed gearsbetween the gripper rolls and pawl and ratchet mechanism and driven bythe latter intermittently, a gear rack, a pinion in mesh with said rack,and adjustable pitman connections between said pinion and pawl andratchet mechanism, whereby said mechanism is operated from the rack.

9. The hereindescribed solder feeding mechanism for can capping machinescomprising gripper rolls, pawl and ratchet mechanism, speed gearsbetween the gripper rolls and the pawl and ratchet mechanism and drivenfrom the latter, a gear rack, a pinion in mesh with said rack and havinga lug on one side thereof, adjustable pitman connections between thepinion and pawl and ratchet mechanism, and devices to shear off a chargeof solder to deposit the same upon the can, said last mentioned devicesbeing operated from the lug aforesaid.

10. In a can capping machine, the combination of a movable support,means to retain a can thereon in definite position, solder feedingdevices comprising friction rolls, pawl and ratchet mechanism to drivesaid rolls, a rack connected to said movable support, a pinion in meshwith said rack, means between said pinion and pawl and ratchet mechanismto operate the latter from the pinion, means normally holding the pawlout of engagement with the ratchet wheel, and means operable from anddependent upon the presence of a can to effect engagement of the pawlwith the ratchet wheel.

11. In a can capping machine, the combination of a turn table,detachable means to sustain cans thereon in definite spaced position, acarrier above the turn table, means to rotate the carrier and turn tablein unison, a series of burners carried by the carrier, each burnercomprising means to rest upon a can during a partial rotation of thecarrier and a flexible pipe to convey fuel there to, the hub of thecarrier having an annular chamber, a non rotary head having an annularchamber similar in form and size to that of the hub and registeringtherewith, the

several feed pipes of the burners leading I flux, and means to dischargethe cans from from said hub chamber, means to deliver fuel into thenon-rotary head chamber, and means to lift the burners successively fromthe cans during the rotation of the carrier.

12. In a can capping machine, the combination of a movable support,means to hold cans thereon in definite relation, a series of burnersmovable in unison with the said support, means to supply solder to theindividual cans, means to supply a flux initially to the solder afterbeing applied, meansto apply heat through the burners to the solderafter the initial flux has been applied, means to apply a second flux tothe solder while tie cans are in mot-ion to complete the spread of thesolder, means to stop the operation of the heat after the application ofthe second the support thereafter.

13. in a can capping machine, the combination of a movable support,means to hold a can thereon in a definite position, means to form solderinto a tree are and apply the solder arc unattached bodily to the capand cap crease while the can is in motion with its support, said solderforming means being adjustable to vary the extent of the are formed, andmeans to flux and meltthe solder aiter being thus applied.

In testimony whereof 1 afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEGRGE W. E. BROOKS.

Witnesses GEORGE Hoar, JAs. F. Mnsoie'ron.

